is one of a number of artists to successfully make the transition from street busking in Dublin to international stardom during the '90s, a prestigious list that includes
.
; however, his style is more upbeat and celebratory than either, and his jangle pop influence and tendency to experiment with unconventional sonic textures and beats (his debut album was overseen by acclaimed indie electronic producer
) further distinguishes him, a tendency that partly led to the breakdown of his relationship with his pop radio-oriented label.
Mundy was born
Edmund Enright in the rural town of Birr, County Offaly, in 1976. At age 18,
Mundy moved to Dublin and began performing on infamous busker haven Grafton Street, and at open-mike nights at the nearby International Bar. Less than two years later,
Mundy signed with Sony subsidiary Epic Records, and released his debut single, "To You I Bestow," on New Year's Day 1996. The presence of
Youth, founding bassist with post-punk pioneers
Killing Joke, is notable in the
Smiths-like bounce of the single, and he was an equally important influence upon the album that followed, the appropriately titled
Jelly Legs. Shortly before the album was released in October 1996, "To You I Bestow" was licensed for inclusion on the soundtrack for
Baz Luhrmann's
Shakespeare adaptation Romeo + Juliet, alongside tracks by
Radiohead and
Garbage. The soundtrack went on to sell 11 million copies;
Jelly Legs sold a respectable 50,000 worldwide.
Having toured both sides of the Atlantic, including support slots with
Alanis Morissette and
Neil Young,
Mundy began working on his second album in 1999 with producer Tommy D. (
Kylie Minogue,
Catatonia). Upon hearing the album, and its perceived lack of hits, Epic dropped
Mundy and shelved the record. Undeterred,
Mundy used the royalties from the soundtrack deal to found his own label, Camcor Records, and began touring the U.K. in earnest with
David Gray, whose
White Ladder had recently exploded in Europe, and America with
Paddy Casey. October 2000 saw the release of The Moon Is a Bullet Hole, an EP named for the rejected album, and April 2002 finally saw the second album released, albeit re-recorded and with new material.
24 Star Hotel yielded the Irish radio hits "July" and "Mexico," the former quickly becoming
Mundy's best-known track in his home country.
24 Star Hotel outsold its predecessor, going double platinum in Ireland. The follow-up, 2004's
Raining Down Arrows, was produced by Texan
Mark Addison and debuted at number one in the Irish charts, achieving platinum status. In May of 2006,
Mundy released his first live album, a CD/DVD combo entitled
Live & Confused, featuring a duet on
Steve Earle's "Galway Girl" with accordionist
Sharon Shannon, which later charted as a single.
Live & Confused was certified platinum in 2007.
–
Dave Donnelly, Rovi